The Easiest Way to Clean Your Coffeemaker

photo credit: m01229 via photopin cc 

It's said that you should clean your coffeemaker once a week to keep the machine in good shape and get the best tasting coffee, but that seems like a lot of work. Many carafes are dishwasher-safe, but some have plastic handles and lids that are not, so your best bet with those is probably to give them a quick rinse with soapy water between uses.

As for the rest of the machine, here's a cool trick that makes cleaning it very easy. Fill the inside with two parts water and one part distilled white vinegar and run a cycle. Then give the machine a rinse by running a couple cycles of pure water to make sure there's no vinegar aftertaste. This routine clears the coffeemaker of mineral deposits like lime and calcium that build up over time.